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Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 Review (Page 1 of 4)

By: Preston Yuen
February 8, 2013

In our culture today, many may agree that we like to take pride in the things that we do. Although we don't get the gold metal every year, Canadians are proud supporters of hockey. Europeans are huge supporters of soccer... of which they call football. Americans are big supporters of their version of football... which to Europeans is essentially hand-egg. However, when it comes down to consumers buying products off the shelves, practically everything is made in China. Apple products may be designed in California, but it is manufactured in China. Yonex badminton racquets are developed in Japan, but it is manufactured in -- you guessed it -- China. The fact is, while the development of certain products may be from a certain country, it may not necessarily be made and produced in the same place. China provides cheap labor, while being able to mass produce certain parts for products, or even the whole entire product, for that matter. What we have today at APH Networks is the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 chassis. As you may have guessed, although it is engineered in Germany and stated in big bold letters, in fine print, it is actually made in China. Funny to say it, but while they say "Turn on German Engineering" on the box as boldly as possible, it seems they have turned on Chinese engineering at the same time, bearing striking resemblance in more than one way to Fractal Design's Define R4 and Define R3. So is this German engineering, or Chinese engineering at heart? Let's take a closer look at this case before you make your final decision.

Our large package arrived via Purolator Ground protected by a corrugated cardboard box. Although there were many bumps and bruises on our packaging, we are glad to see that our unit inside is safe and sound. This is excellent news, as it went through different cargo flights from China, and of course, it got stamped with multiple stickers along the way. From what I can see, after being born in China, it was then transported to Hong Kong, where it took its flight on a Cathay Pacific plane to Toronto, Canada. It then hopped on to a Purolator Ground shipment to our Calgary, Alberta location. International trade and logistics for the win.

The company takes a contrasting approach on designing the packaging box using solid orange and black for its theme and different shades of white and gray for its background and description of the Deep Silence 1 case. As with almost any manufacturer these days, you will see the company name and the model printed boldly somewhere on the packaging box, and the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 is of no exception. It promotes its German engineering at the bottom, while a photo of the Deep Silence 1 is printed on the left side next to a list of features in the form of simple diagrams. Taking a look around the box, you will notice other descriptors, but I am sure you will find your own time to read it all, so I won't waste anymore of your time here.

Cracking the box open, I found the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 chassis clipped between two Styrofoam brackets. Unfortunately, our unit came with broken Styrofoam brackets, but on the flip side, it has protected our unit from getting damaged along the way. It comes protected in a plastic bag from possible scratches while in transport as well. You will also notice that there is plastic tape on the front side to further protect it from scratches. After taking all of these off, you will notice that this chassis looks awfully similar to a certain chassis reviewed by my colleague Jonathan quite some time ago.

Before we move on, let's take a look at the specifications of the Nanoxia Deep Silence 1, as obtained from the manufacturer's website: